


The Best

by CatrinaSL



Series: 100 Ways to Say I Love You [1]
Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: 100 ways to say i love you, Art Collector Darcy, Boxing & Fisticuffs, Cake, Coffee, Comfort, Cookies, Dreams, Driving, F/M, Fluff, Forehead Kisses, Hugs, Ice Cream, Late at Night, Love Confessions, Napping, Payback, Quasiromantic, SHIP DARCY LEWIS WITH ALL THE THINGS, Self-Sacrifice, Sidekicks, Sleep, Sleep Deprivation, Sleepiness, Slow Dancing, cheek kiss, concert tickets
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-01
Updated: 2018-03-11
Packaged: 2019-03-25 07:14:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 3,950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13829163
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CatrinaSL/pseuds/CatrinaSL
Summary: A collection of100 Ways to Say I Love Youoneshots featuring Sam and Darcy.





	1. Drive

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Stella_Malodi and mbuzz for their beta skills!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's late, and Sam is concerned about Darcy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. “Pull over. Let me drive for a while.”

The music was deafening. The window was wide open, even though the mile markers were flicking by faster than they ought to have been. Her coffee was cold, but she kept drinking it anyway. She gripped the steering wheel tightly, probably afraid to let go. Her features contorted into expressions he'd never seen before, like she was competing in some kind of road trip face-making contest.

After about ten minutes of silent watching, he chuckled. "Pull over," he told her. "Let me drive for a while."

She seemed surprised to see him awake.

He felt the same about her.

"No, I..." she began, tearing her eyes away from him and putting them back on the road. "I need  to get you guys there as soon as possible, and you need to be ready to go save people and stuff right away when we get there, so—"

He put his hand over one of hers. "Darcy," he said, "We won't be able to help anyone if we die on the way."

She knit her brow. "Are you sure?" she asked, already stepping on the clutch and popping the van into neutral. 

Sam nodded. "If I get too tired, I'll wake up the super snorer back there and  _ he _ can drive for a while."

Darcy still looked worried. "Promise?"

"I promise," he told her with a smile.

She let out a long breath and switched the hazard lights on, pushing on the brake slowly so that the van would come to a stop without tossing Steve onto the floor in the back. Gravel crunched under the tires as she guided the vehicle onto the shoulder, and she pulled the emergency brake and left the keys in the ignition when she opened the door and hopped out.

Sam met her between the headlights; she was rubbing her eyes, and yeah, she was tired, but...

He put a hand on her arm and squeezed. "It'll be okay. We'll get there and help make everything okay."

She bit her lip and nodded, then knocked her forehead onto his chest.

He put his arms around her and held her there, just for a moment, as he murmured comforting things.

"We gotta go," she whispered, turning away suddenly and heading for the passenger's side door.

Sam headed for the driver's side to get them back on the road, but before he could even buckle up, he had to stop to adjust the seat for his legs.

He turned to tease her about how short she was, but Darcy had already fallen asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/171416691438/drive)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


	2. On Canvas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy supports local artists.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 2\. “It reminded me of you.”

"What am I looking at?" Tony was wondering as Sam walked into the common area.

"That painting was acquired by Miss Lewis, Sir," JARVIS informed him. "It was painted by an amateur artist—"

"I can see that," Tony interrupted.

Sam glanced at the apparently offensive art. It wasn't that bad: a bird flying across the middle of the canvas, casting its shadow at the viewer by blocking out a bit of the blinding sun that shone down from above.

"Support local artists," he heard Darcy say from the kitchen.

Tony's face took on a pained look. "In my dining room?" he whined, gesturing at the painting.

"I thought you said it was _our_ room," Darcy said, raising both eyebrows. "Besides, Clint's got that whole wall for darts and Steve gets to leave his massive history textbooks all over the place. Natasha keeps losing her socks in between the couch cushions and Thor left his hammer on the recliner for like a week and no one could sit there. Not to mention that Bruce has an _entire_ shelf of this cupboard just for his tea, look!" She opened the cabinet in question and gestured to the smorgasbord of tea there.

"But—" Tony objected.

"It's either this or I yarn bomb the coffee table," she said, a note of finality in her voice.

Tony turned his eyes back to the wall, frowning. "I guess it's not _that_ bad," he allowed. "What's it called?"

Sam could have sworn that Darcy blushed. " _The Falcon_ ," she replied.

Tony raised an eyebrow at Sam, then shrugged and left the room.

"I like it," Sam told Darcy. "I mean, I liked it before, but it's pretty cool to have a painting named after you."

She smiled, coming to stand next to him to admire it. "Yeah, that's what I thought, too. I'd already decided to buy it, and then when I saw what the name of it was, it was, like... perfect."

"Really?"

She nodded. "It reminded me of you."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/171451596318/on-canvas)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


	3. On Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy forgets her wallet, but Sam's got her covered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3\. “No, no, it’s my treat.”

Sam stood at the front of the line, the barista and the three people behind him looking very annoyed.

Bucky and Rhodey were already camped out in a booth with Kate, but Darcy was nowhere to be seen. Sam hoped that she was just running late due to the rain...

"Sir?" the barista said again. "Were you going to order anytime soon?"

Sam sighed and did. He was standing next to the pick up counter when Darcy stomped inside, shook water out of her hair, and swore loudly. He bit down a laugh as she awkwardly apologized to the other patrons nearby, then waved at Kate across the room. 

Behind him, the barista cleared their throat and set his drinks on the counter. Sam turned to pick them up, and when the turned back, Darcy was there in front of him.

"Today sucks," she informed him. "But coffee will make it better. You don't have to wait with me; just..." She gestured in the direction of the booth where the others were sitting. "I'll be over there in a minute."

She moved to join the line in front of the register, but Sam stopped her by putting the drink he'd bought her in her hand.

"Wait," she said, as she watched him take a sip of the coffee he'd bought for himself. "Seriously?"

He shrugged and gave her a smile.

"Aw, Sam," Darcy said, smiling back. "Lemme—" She patted herself, searching for something. "—Leave my wallet at home. Awesome. Best day ever.” She rolled her eyes in frustration. “I'll pay you back later."

"Nah." He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. This one's on me."

She blinked at him. "You might be the best person," she told him.

"I take thank yous in the form of hugs, chocolate cake, or both," he reminded her.

"Okay, well, I can take care of one of those now," she said, putting an arm around his waist and squeezing. "You'll have to wait for the other."

He laughed, put his arm around her shoulders and squeezed back, then tugged her in the direction of their friends. "Let's go."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They’re totally at a meeting of Sidekicks Anonymous.
> 
> Rhodey is Iron Man’s (even though he denies being a sidekick because “War Machine ROX”)
> 
> Kate is Clint’s
> 
> Darcy is technically Thor’s
> 
> Sam is Cap’s
> 
> Bucky is technically representing Natasha’s camp even though she does not claim him
> 
> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/171486956958/on-me)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


	4. Fix-it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam comes to Darcy's fashion rescue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 4\. “Come here. Let me fix it.”

Sam's reading was interrupted by Darcy, who was swearing in the kitchen. She was actually fully dressed, but so rumpled that it seemed more like she was only half dressed: her skirt tilted, shirt untucked, jacket shoved on as she poured herself some coffee.

He would have smiled, but he knew why she was stressed. Doctor Foster was going to be presenting some findings at a symposium, and Darcy hadn't been able to prevent her from staying up all night researching something new.

Darcy growled into her coffee, turning and eyeing Sam, probably to make sure he didn't find her situation amusing. With one hand, she partook of the nectar of the gods, and with the other, she did battle with her collar.

After the requisite amount of life-giving liquid had been consumed, she put the mug down and dedicated more of her attention to her clothing. 

"What the—how did this—?!" She gave her jacket a shake.

"Come here," Sam said, putting down his tablet and beckoning her to him. "Let me fix it."

"I can—" she began, but he cut her off with a sigh, and guided her jacket off her shoulders.

"Your buttons are off by at least one," he pointed out, as he stood behind her and smoothed the back collar of her blouse.

"Oh," she said, embarrassment in her tone. "Hang on."

Sam didn't watch as she corrected button placement on her top and adjusted her skirt so it looked like she'd been fully awake when she put it on.

"Okay." She turned around and presented herself for inspection. "Better?"

Sam smiled as he helped her into her jacket. "Much," he said in approval.

"Good," Darcy sighed, returning to her coffee. "Now I have to go wake Jane up and remind her that it's not exactly professional to wear sweatpants to an academic conference."

"You got this," he told her.

She beamed at him, not a trace of sleepiness about her. Sam didn't know if it was because of the coffee or his encouragement.

"You're awesome," she returned, hugging his arm. "Remind me when I get back that I owe you cupcakes."

"I still haven't seen that chocolate cake you promised me," he said.

"That's because you didn't  _ remind _ me," she insisted, giving his forearm a shake.

"Miss Lewis," JARVIS interrupted. "You asked me to inform you when Doctor Foster awakened; currently, she is out of bed, but seems to be intent on going to the lab instead of readying herself for the symposium."

"Thanks, J," she said to the ceiling, then let go of Sam. "That's my cue. I'll see you in a couple of days."

He nodded, returning to his tablet.

"Hey, Sam?" He looked up to see that Darcy had stuck her head back into the kitchen. "Thank you. You really are the best." Then she ducked back out again.

Sam went back to reading, a smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/171526979688/fix-it)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


	5. Fisticuff Fussing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam removes Darcy from the source of her stress and walks her back to her apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 5\. “I’ll walk you home.”

The astrophysics lab was louder than it should have been when Sam walked past on his way to talk to Tony about new equipment. Not that he was hanging around waiting for them to get back, or anything. 

They had planned to return that evening, but obviously, by the way Darcy was yelling, their plans had changed.

He took a chance and poked his head inside. 

"Fisticuffs I expect from the Great Norse Wonder over there," Darcy shouted, waving her arm in the direction of what was obviously a painfully hungover Doctor Selvig. "But  _ you _ , Jane? I... I don't even know."

"He said my theory was—" Foster began. 

"Yes, I know what he  _ said _ ," Darcy snapped. "Doctor Cunningham has a messed up way of flirting. Next time he should just lead with the fact that he thinks you have a nice ass."

"I wouldn't have hit him as hard if he had," Jane replied, giving Darcy a hopeful smile.

Darcy, who was in the act of hefting a box full of files onto the table, nearly laughed, but a small movement from Selvig caught her eye. She plopped the research down and stalked across the lab toward him.

"You and I are going to have a  _ very _ long conversation later," she told him, her voice loud. Selvig winced away from her, but Darcy didn't let up. "Do you realize that you nearly punched the King of Sweden in the face?!"

"At least he kept his pants on," Jane offered.

"I can't take you two  _ anywhere _ !" Darcy screamed.

"Okay." Sam soothed, stepping into the lab and making his way over to Darcy. "Let's just..." He put his arm around her and began to guide her toward the door. "Let's leave these two to think about what they did, and I can walk you back to your apartment."

He could feel that Darcy was shaking with rage, but she relaxed as he pulled her out into the hallway and hit the button for the elevator.

"I have a political science degree," she told him as the doors opened and they stepped on. "I didn't take this job to keep metaphorical five year olds from kicking metaphorical sand in one another's metaphorical faces."

He waited for her to continue.

"Tony is giving me a raise," she stated. "And the astrophysicists are grounded." She crossed her arms over her chest and huffed. "At least until I find out if they're allowed back in the city of Stockholm ever again."

The elevator doors opened.

"Sam," she whined. "I need a hug."

He put his arm around her again and she turned, knocking her forehead onto his chest. 

This was nonverbal-Darcy for 'snuggle me,' so he pulled her closer and held her until she let out a long, frustrated breath.

"Now I need a nap," she admitted. "And an ice cream bar."

Sam waited for her to lift her head from his chest before stepping back. "One of the raspberry chocolate ones?" he asked.

She shook her head, and they headed down the hallway toward her apartment. "I'm thinking peanut butter chocolate, but I'm not sure. Maybe I'll give you a call after I wake up and we can make Steve take us to that place he likes."

"Sounds good to me," Sam replied. He stopped outside her door and leaned on the frame. "Sorry you had a hard weekend."

Darcy rolled her eyes. "It was more like 'a bad last fifteen minutes,' but even averaging out the aggravation, it still wasn't the best weekend ever."

He tilted away from the wall and smiled at her. "Get some rest. Ice cream later."

She grinned at him. "Night, Sam."

"Goodnight, Darcy."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/171557472133/fisticuff-fussing)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


	6. Good Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy wants Sam to have a good day at work. Sam's not quite sure what that means.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 6\. “Have a good day at work.”

Calls to Assemble came fairly often. Sam imagined that it was a lot like being a volunteer firefighter, only with a higher chance of bullets.

That afternoon, a group of them were in the common area when JARVIS sent out the alert that it was time to suit up. Steve left immediately to change, but Bruce stayed right where he was until Tony came down to let them know that the Other Guy's services weren't required.

Sam patted him on the shoulder and headed off to get his wings.

"Hey, Sam?" Darcy called. He paused and looked back. "Have a good day at work!"

He grinned back at her and gave her a thumbs up.

The HYDRA cell was small; they honestly hadn't needed even Tony's help, much less Bruce's. Steve managed to recover some intel that would help them find several other HYDRA holdouts, and then they hopped into the quinjet and headed back to base.

"Are you okay?" Steve asked, nudging him with an elbow. "You seem preoccupied."

Sam shook his head. "Before we left, Darcy told me to have a good day at work."

"We... did have a good day," Steve pointed out.

"I know we did." Sam smiled at him. "There's just something about the way she said it."

"It's a dangerous job," Steve offered.

Sam nodded. "You think that's what she meant? 'Stay safe'?"

Steve shrugged. "What else could it be?"

The common area looked exactly the way he had left it: his book in the same place, Darcy in the same chair. The only difference was that Bruce was missing, but that didn't bother Sam. He walked in, sat down on the couch, and reached for his book.

Darcy looked up and smiled at him.

It couldn't hurt to ask.

"What did you mean yesterday when you told me to have a good day at work?"

She blinked and looked up from her tablet. "Oh. Uh, like..." she paused to consider. "Like how you can't say 'good luck' to stage actors, you have to say 'break a leg.' Except I definitely don't want you to break a leg. Maybe someone else's leg, but only if you don't have a choice because they're trying to kill you or whatever. And I can't be like, 'don't break your leg or someone else's unless they're trying to make you dead,' because that's not really... it's a mouthful. So I just went with something short and sweet."

"Oh." Sam nodded. "I thought so."

"Yeah. It was less morbid than saying, 'Don't die; I like you,'" Darcy told him.

"Right."

She nodded, and silence returned to the room.

"So I'm glad you didn't die," she added.

Sam smiled. "Me too."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/171594758933/good-day)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


	7. Fuzzy Dance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy had a dream, but it's fuzzy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 7\. “I dreamt about you last night.”

It wasn't strange for Darcy to wander into the kitchen in the morning still looking sleepy, but it was strange for her to continue to glare at people even after she'd had a cup of coffee. 

"Is... everything okay?" Steve asked, noticing her fixation on Sam.

"I think so," she replied.

"Are you sure?" Sam asked. "I didn’t do something wrong without realizing, did I?"

"No, I just—I think I had a dream about you last night. You know, when you can sort of remember, but it's fuzzy?"

"You had a dream about me?" Sam repeated.

Darcy nodded, still frowning, and out of the corner of his eye, Sam saw Steve slinking out of the room.

"I hope it was a good dream, and I wasn't, like, hitting on your best friend or something."

"I think we were... dancing?" Darcy said, wrinkling her nose.

"Like up in the club, or ballroom?"

She shrugged and put her coffee cup down. "More like ballroom," she said, and came around the counter to pull him off the stool he was sitting on. 

Then Darcy took one of his hands in hers and put the other on the small of her back.

"Uh," Sam wondered, "is this—"

"Shhh," Darcy interrupted, putting her head on his shoulder and starting to sway.

There was no music, but Sam didn't care.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/171626027963/fuzzy-dance)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


	8. Line of Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy rescues Sam from Hill's wrath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 8\. “Take my seat.”

Sam hadn’t meant to be late, but he wasn't surprised. When Tony started talking about ideas for Redwing, it was hard to get him to stop, especially when Sam would rather stay and hear them than go to a briefing.

Hill gave him a look when he slipped in the door, and didn’t alter it much after receiving Sam's best apologetic smile. She kept going, most likely trusting that Sam would get the highlights from Steve later.

He settled in against the wall, but was still in Hill's eye line whenever she turned to her left, and Sam got a dirty look every time.

After about five minutes, he felt a hand on his arm and heard a whisper: "Here, take my seat."

Sam let Darcy push him down into her chair at the table, and the next time Hill turned, all she got was an eyeful of diligently attentive Darcy Lewis.

"Thanks for that," he said as they shuffled out of the conference room when the briefing was over.

Darcy grinned. "Now  _ you _ owe  _ me _ ," she said.

"Peanut butter cookies, right?"

"Or snickerdoodles," she replied.

"You got it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/171661122428/line-of-fire)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


	9. Appreciate the Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darcy sacrifices herself for Sam.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 9\. “I saved a piece for you.”

It wasn't a long mission, but it was so late when they got back that Sam didn't expect anyone to be up.

The common kitchen was dark, but there were signs of dessert: plates in the sink, a cake pan completely devoid of any cake, and a half empty can of chocolate frosting in the refrigerator.

Sam had missed out.

He grabbed a bottle of water and headed to his apartment to get some sleep, but when he walked inside, there, on his dining room table, was a huge slice of chocolate cake.

_ I saved a piece for you, _ said the note on the table beside it.  _ You better appreciate the sacrifice, because not only did I have to fight Tony and Jane off of it, I had to keep from eating it myself! _

And then, at the bottom:  _ Now _ _ we're even. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/171694727703/appreciate-the-sacrifice)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


	10. VIP

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam makes a suggestion and saves the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 10\. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

Sam walked into the common area just as Darcy was settling herself back down at the dining room table with a fresh cup of coffee.

She offered him a tired smile and said, "Any second now!" before turning eagerly to the laptop in front of her.

Sam raised both eyebrows at Bruce, who was watching, bemused, from the kitchen island with an empty bowl of cereal. "Concert ticket hunting," Bruce reported.

"Justin Timberlake," Darcy added. "My grandma has been following his career since the Mickey Mouse Club, so every time he goes on tour, one of us grandkids takes her, and it's my turn..." She abandoned her informational speech to click the mouse wildly. 

Sam took a sip of orange juice straight from the jug and watched her ticket acquisition: first she laughed triumphantly, then gasped as though she'd been stabbed, then applied herself to more mouse-clicking. Finally, her eyes got huge, and she drew in a gigantic breath, and let it out as a wail: "Nnnnnoooooooooo!!!" She threw her head back and shook both fists at the sky.

Bruce shot Sam a look and made his way to the sink to deposit his bowl, then patted Sam's shoulder and gave him a little push toward Darcy.

"Not good news?" Sam asked.

"Standing room only?!" Darcy demanded of the laptop. "My grandmother is eighty-three years old; she needs to be able to sit when she wants to!" She let out a groan of frustration and put her head in her hands. "How could the seats have sold out so quickly?!"

Sam glanced at Bruce for support, but all he offered was a slight shrug.

"I'm sorry for your loss," he said, putting down the orange juice and stepping over to pat Darcy's shoulder.

"Ugh," she replied. "Grandma would probably want me to get the tickets anyway..." She sighed. "I could blow my whole paycheck on VIP seats, but my cousin Alexis would kill me; she'd never be able to do better than that."

"VIP seats..." Sam murmured, forming an idea. "Darcy, what if you asked Tony if he could hook you up with tickets?"

She looked up sharply.

"Maybe he could even get you backstage to meet JT or something."

"Oh my god, Sam, you're a  _ genius _ ," Darcy breathed. She closed the laptop and jumped up, pecking a kiss on Sam's cheek. "Lexie can suck it!" 

Then she grinned at Bruce and dashed from the room.

"I'll say it even though she didn't: you're my hero," Bruce said. "She was probably going to mope around the lab for the next six weeks, so thanks for saving the day."

Sam blinked at him.

"Don't worry;  _ I'm _ not going to kiss you." The physicist smiled and followed Darcy out.

Five minutes later, Sam prodded his cheek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/171737063823/vip)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


	11. The Best

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sam puts Darcy to bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> “I love you.”

Steve was sipping coffee when Sam walked into the common room and immediately spotted Darcy passed out on the couch.

He had meant to head directly to the source of the coffee himself, but paused. "Know when she got in?" he whispered, cocking his head at the quietly snoring Scientist Wrangler.

Steve helpfully held up three fingers, and Sam winced. "I'll get her," Sam directed, pointing Steve down the hallway. "You open the door for me."

As he rounded the couch and bent down to pick Darcy up, Sam saw Steve do something he'd noticed Natasha doing recently whenever Darcy's name come up: smile slightly but make no other comment. Sam frowned as Steve headed toward the door of Darcy's room. He'd have to corner the two of them later to ask what that was about.

He managed to scoop Darcy up without much trouble; she mumbled something and slumped onto his chest, and he carried her down the hallway and through the door that Steve was helpfully holding open for him.

Darcy stretched sleepily and opened her eyes as he set her on her bed.

"Didn't mean to wake you," he said quietly. "Go back to sleep."

"Sam," Darcy murmured. "You're the best. I love you."

Sam straightened, surprised. He looked to Steve, who only shook his head, smiled, and walked back in the direction of his coffee.

Darcy rolled onto her side and yawned, her eyes closing again as she drifted back to sleep.

Smiling, Sam brushed some hair off of her forehead and kissed her brow. "I love you too, Darce."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Reblog on tumblr](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com/post/171769192638/the-best)
> 
> Tumblr: [catrinasl](http://catrinasl.tumblr.com)
> 
> Twitter: [@Catrina_SL](http://twitter.com/Catrina_SL)


End file.
